The present invention relates to electronic price label (EPL) systems used in transaction establishments, and more specifically to an auxiliary display recognition system and method for an electronic price label system.
EPL systems typically include a plurality of EPLs for each merchandise item in a store. EPLs typically display the price of corresponding merchandise items on store shelves and are typically attached to a rail along the leading edge of the shelves. A store may contain thousands of EPLs to display the prices of the merchandise items. The EPLs are coupled to a central server from where information about the EPLs is typically maintained in an EPL data file. Price information displayed by the EPLs is obtained from the PLU file.
EPLs today may be wired or wireless. Wireless EPLs may employ infrared or radio frequency transmitters to transmit acknowledgment signals acknowledging receipt of messages and to relay acknowledgment signals from other EPLs to receiving devices coupled to a main EPL computer. An EPL only sends an acknowledgment if the message is addressed to it.
Items that are xe2x80x9cOn Salexe2x80x9d or heavily promoted within a store are typically identified by auxiliary displays, usually made of paper, called xe2x80x9cshelf talkersxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cbibsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cpromotional tagsxe2x80x9d which are attached to shelves or current price marking devices. These paper tags must be installed and removed by store personnel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,226 discusses a method for identifying EPLs on which promotional tags have been installed. However, the method is deficient because it cannot determine which type of promotional tag is installed on any given EPL. A typical retail store may have as many as ten types of promotional tags and sometimes more. It is important for store personnel to not only know when a tag is installed or should be installed, but whether the correct tag is installed.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system that not only recognizes that a promotional tag has been attached to an EPL, but also determines which type of promotional tag is attached.
In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, an auxiliary display recognition system and method for an electronic price label system is provided.
The system includes a number of auxiliary display recorders which sense a number of indicators on the auxiliary display. The indicators are arranged in a predetermined pattern which uniquely identifies a type designation for the auxiliary display. The system also includes an auxiliary display sensing circuit coupled to the auxiliary display recorders which determines the type designation of the auxiliary display from the pattern.
In one embodiment, the recorders include a number of photosensors. In another embodiment, the recorders include a number of push button switches. In both embodiments, the indicators include a number of apertures.
The system also includes auxiliary display management software which compares previously stored information, associating auxiliary displays with electronic price labels, with the determined type designation to ensure that the correct auxiliary display is attached to the electronic price label.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary display recognition system and method for an electronic price label system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary display recognition system and method for an electronic price label system which can determine a unique type designation of the auxiliary display.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary display recognition system and method for an electronic price label system which can determine whether an incorrect auxiliary display is attached to a particular EPL.